Economic Importance of class Mammalia :
Mammals are highly useful to human beings directly or indirectly.
(A) Useful Mammals – Mammals play a vital role for the ecosystem in which they live. Various uses of Mammals are as follows –
(i) In Agriculture – Many Mammals particularity Camel, OX etc are used in plowing the field. The excreta (Gobar and urine) of cattle’s is used as fertilizer as it is the good source of nitrogen and other nutrients. Gobar is used in Gobar gas plant in making gobar gas which is a good alternate source of energy used in Kitchen. The slurry left in the gobar gas plant is used as fertilizer.
(ii) In transportation – Since long back mammals are used for transportation such as Camel. Elephant, Horse, Ox etc. Camels are very useful in desert. In Tundra region, tundra dogs and rain deer and in Tibet, Yalk are used for transportation.
(iii) Hunting and recreation – Since ancient time man is hunting mammals for recreational purposes and to get food and other products. Hunting mammals such as Lagomorphs (Rabbit, Hare) and Ungulates (hoofed animals) has grown into a multi-billion dollar enterprise.
(iv) Medicines – Many animal products have medicinal values. For example, milk of Cows and Goat is given to patients to drink being easily digestible. The liver oil of whale is a rich source of vit. A, hence useful for eyes. Many mammalian organs are consumed as food because of their medicinal values such as liver, adrenal, testes, thyroid, pituitary, thalamus etc.
(v) Oil – Oil obtained from many mammals such as whale etc is used in making many products such as Soap,-Paint, Candles, Ointment, Shoe polish, Lubricants etc.
(vi) Products like Musk and Ivory – Musk is a powerfiill aphrodisiac and used in making scent and musk have antiinflammatory and anti- histaminic properties. The musk is obtained from Musk deer.
Ivory is a hard and white material obtained from elephant tusks and tusks of other mammals. The ivory is very costly and it is used to make many items like cutlery handles, musical instruments, billiard ball, piano keys, bangles etc.
(vii) Business point of view, the skin of many mammals is used as leather to manufacture purses, shoes, sandals, chap pals, suitcases etc. The hooves and horns are used to make toys, combs, frames, handles of knife, buttons etc. The hair of camel, horse and pigs are used to make brushes to polish shoes and for other purposes.
(viii) Skeleton – The bones of dead mammals are used to make bone charcoal which is used in sugar industry. Bones of whales are used to get gum and gelatin which are used in making photographic films. The phosphate obtained from the bones is used to manufacture fertilizer like super phosphate etc.
(ix) For the amusement of public and foreign tourists many mammals such as monkeys, bear, rabbit, fox, lion, tiger, deer, blue cow, peacock etc are kept in the amusement parks and zoos.
(x) Many mammals such as rats, rabbit, guinea pig, squirrel are used in the laboratories to teach the students and for research purpose.
(xi) Many mammals feed on decaying organic matter and dead animals and clean the environment. They are called as scavengers.
Examples – Dogs, Pig, Jackal etc
(B) Harmful Mammals-
(i) Many wild and domestic mammals destroy the crop, seeds and saplings. Rats (Rattus rattus) primarily feed on grains, fruits, vegetables etc. In India the rat is the most destroyer of human food. Squirrel (Fun ambuluspennantii) destroy fruits, vegetables, flowers, peas etc. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) eat and destroy groundnut, sugar beat, potato, sugarcane, maize etc.
Blue cow (Boselaphus tragocamelus) eat and mine many types of crops particularly during morning and evening.
(ii) Some Mammals act as Vector for the human pathogens. Such as eating of less cooked meat of pig (pork) and meat of cow (Beef) cause infection of Taenia solium and Taenia sagginata respectively. Rabid Dogs, fox, monkeys etc transmit rabies disease. Rats transmit plague via fleas.
(iii) Many carnivorous wild mammals such as Lion, Tiger, Wolf etc hunt the useful domestic animals like goat, sheep, pig, hen, cow etc. Sometime, they also attack on human beings.
